Soda and other sugary drinks have to be one of the worst things anyone can do for their health. I constantly tell patients not to drink soda. The average patient who stops drinking soda loses about 5 pounds. That’s great!

Drink water! It’s better for your health. Do you need more evidence that sugary drinks are bad? Here you go.

A Harvard-led study in the journal, Circulation, found people who drink two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day have a 31 percent higher risk of early death from cardiovascular disease. Each additional soda, sports drink, or sugary beverage increased the risk by 10 percent.

An imaging analysis of 240 healthy spines measured the height of the intervertebral disc and compared those measurements against age and gender: “Variation in disc height is determined much more by sex rather than age. The maximum height of the interbody space in the adult lumbar spine was at the L4/5 level (8.9±1.7 mm males, 8.6±1.8 mm females).”

Did you know chiropractic can help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Here are some facts: CTS affects between 5%-10% of the population and 66%-75% sufferers are female. (1)

Conservative care (chiropractic and Physical therapy) rivals surgery. In fact, adjustments can increase the size of the carpal tunnel(3) reducing the compression on the nerve. Steroids injections and opioids may not be useful according to one study. (2)

If you’re suffering from CTS or trying to avoid surgery call Dr. Steve!

Do you ever wonder if the food you’re eating could be affecting your health? Everyone knows poor food choices can cause weight gain. Did you know poor food choices could be effecting more than your weight?

Inside our bellies, we have an extensive intestinal lining covering more than 4,000 square feet of surface area. When working properly, it forms a tight barrier that controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream. An unhealthy gut lining may have large cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to penetrate the tissues beneath it. This may trigger inflammation and changes in the gut flora (normal bacteria) that could lead to problems within the digestive tract and beyond. The research world is booming today with studies showing that modifications in the intestinal bacteria and inflammation may play a role in the development of several common chronic diseases.(1)

It’s always a good idea to eat a nutritious, unprocessed diet including foods that help quell inflammation (and avoids foods known to trigger inflammation), which may, at least in theory, help to rebuild the gut lining and bring more balance to the gut flora.

Looking for a program that helps with gut health? Come see doctor Dr. Steve and he could recommend a program that works for you!

From the study in Psychosomatic Medicine: ” An analysis of data from almost 46,000 people has found that weight loss, nutrient boosting and fat reduction diets can all reduce the symptoms of depression.”

How cool is that? Changing your diet can improve your mental health!

What happens if you add exercise to your life style? Quoting the study again: “Specifically, our results within this study found that when dietary interventions were combined with exercise, a greater improvement in depressive symptoms was experienced by people. Taken together, our data really highlight the central role of eating a healthier diet and taking regular exercise to act as a viable treatment to help people with low mood.”

Now diet and exercise might not fix all of your problems but it is a good place to start.

If you don’t know where to begin, call the office and set an appointment with Dr. Steve! He can help you get started.

“New research shows that using the legs, particularly in weight-bearing exercise, sends signals to the brain that are vital for the production of healthy neural cells.”

This research supports what we already know, but in a new spin, that sensory input is just as important as motor output.

This research might suggest that those who do not continue to weight-bearing exercise, such as bedridden or chronically ill patients and even the aging population, are at risk for faster decline. “Not only do they lose muscle mass, but their body chemistry is altered at the cellular level and even their nervous system is adversely impacted,” says Dr. Raffaella Adami from the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.

Once again a study shows that the more you move the better your brain is! So if you have pain limiting your exercise or walking call the office. Take care of your body so you can take care of your brain!